I don't look like an egg (Humpty Dumpty) in the mirror, but I still need SUSPENDERS!

[jsrnephdoc]

Only one of my 5 kilts was made to measure by a fitting in a shop (Wm Glen & Son, in SF, CA, USA. As I recall, it fit well the few times I wore it in 2016 and 2017 before being consumed in the Sonoma County, CA "Tubbs" wildfire, along with everything else I owned. All but one of those acquired more recently were made based on online measuring instructions. Every single one of them, and especially the 3 made from heavyweight (16 oz) fabric, have an irrepressible urge to migrate "south," even to the point of falling to my ankles.

Hence, every one of them is fitted with waistband buttons for suspenders. Of course, almost no one wears suspenders any more, even with trousers, so when I show up at my favorite seamstress asking for them to be placed on a new kilt, NEITHER of us knows really where the buttons should be placed. What seems right is to "plant" the buttons for the pleated section directly in its middle. For no reason I'm aware of, we've chosen to plant the buttons for the front straps on the under apron.

I found one other discussion here about wearing braces/suspenders with a kilt, and it included a few photos of gents doing so just with a shirt (no jacket or waistcoat), but it seems that's not a popular "look." So, in summer, I hide the suspenders behind a waistcoat and skip the jacket if I'm to be outdoors in the heat, and in winter for casual daywear I'll hide them beneath an Aran sweater.

I'm old (78) WAS too fat, and I have diabetes, so one non-garment attempt I made to improve this was to lose almost 30 pounds, telling my personal physician I wanted to improve my diabetic management, so needed to switch from DM Rx (metformin) that does a LOUSY job of promoting weight loss to treatment that does (semaglutide, branded as Ozempic, which now drives the entire Danish economy). Even that plus moving the straps hasn't helped.

Riff on just how common this dilemma is in the US: I'm a retired specialist physician. Most medical specialties have professional societies that hold annual meetings, commonly in upscale hotels, and those meetings typically include a ceremonial dinner in a hotel ballroom where friends who haven't seen each other for a year group themselves at tables that seat 8-12 people. This year, the VERY common realization as those people look at each other is that many, many of them are SMALLER than a year ago, and also that far more of the dinner plates are taken back to the kitchen still bearing a good bit of the food that was presented on them than was the case in previous years.

Is the best solution to this sartorial dilemma just to travel back to SF or Edinburgh to have in-person measurements made in the kilt shop? Or just give up and wear the braces?

[Jock Scot]

Just a thought, are your kilts "cut" to wear at the traditional height around the waist, or at the more modern lower "cut" style? If they are "cut" at the traditional height a good proper leather kilt belt done up tightly should save the day, I should add that I don't have belt loops. It has worked for me on occasion!

[jsrnephdoc]

Just a thought, are your kilts "cut" to wear at the traditional height around the waist, or at the more modern lower "cut" style? If they are "cut" at the traditional height a good proper leather kilt belt done up tightly should save the day, I should add that I don't have belt loops. It has worked for me on occasion!

Thanks for answering!

They're made for the high-waist traditional fitting. I do have a kilt belt that I wear occasionally with a day sporran, but I don't think I could do so when I'm wearing my favorite dress sporran. Also, I'm not sure of the mechanics, because the kilt belt doesn't really anchor the kilt (Barb Tewksbury tells me the waistband loops in the pleated back are for sporran straps, not for a belt, and her preference is NOT to include them at all in the kilts she makes.

[Jock Scot]

Trust me! If you do up the belt tight enough the kilt will not move!

[CBH]

I had a similar dilemma just weeks ago.

I had noticed my pants are looser than before. I also have a denim utility kilt that is looser. I always had to adjust the straps to the tightest setting, but after wearing it just a couple of times most recently (with the denim stretching, just as it does with jeans), it would not stay on. I had to change out of it by the end of the day.

I have not made a conscience effort to be thinner, and I really don't think my total weight has dropped much, if any. I just re-measured, and the most it has "shrunk" is 1/2" or less.

I posted about my new Houston 8 yard kilt that I got just in time for the wedding last week. Unfortunately, it was far too large right out of the box.

So I contacted Houston and they recommended simply moving the straps/buckles with a local seamstress. I found someone that could handle the thick leather straps. It ultimately fixed my problem, but it was not without incident. They did it wrong the first 2 times, and finally ended up making final adjustments while I was there and could try it out. I only moved the straps, as I thought moving the buckles would be far more invasive and could ruin the look.

While both kilts fit now, the straps don't fit exactly the same between right and left sides. So be sure to check that and be prepared to get it re-done a few times.

I also did my own measurements and provided them, so it is funny how the exact same size (36") can be made so differently. It is also a bit frustrating because that is arguably the only measurement that's crucial for a kilt, and to top it off - the strap/buckle system has adjustability built into the core design !!

I only made about 2" total adjustment on mine. The problem I faced is overlap between the underlying apron and the buckle. If I had not had the total alteration done so that I am using only the first or second hole in the strap, I don't know if it would have worked well.

Good luck finding a good alteration shop. Of course they won't understand kilts, so you'll have to be patient. I did not know what to look for either, so I was very grateful they were willing to go through trial-and-error to get it (mostly) right.

PS - all my current kilts are cut for the low/pants waist. I have one coming later this year that is supposed to be made with the traditional, higher cut.

[jsrnephdoc]

I had a similar dilemma just weeks ago.

I had noticed my pants are looser than before. I also have a denim utility kilt that is looser. I always had to adjust the straps to the tightest setting, but after wearing it just a couple of times most recently (with the denim stretching, just as it does with jeans), it would not stay on. I had to change out of it by the end of the day.

I'm fortunate to have access to a very skilled seamstress who makes century old wedding dresses fit new brides, makes costumes for the local ballet company by the dozen, and doesn't shrink for challenges.

I gave her a copy of Barb Tewksbury's seminal book. I don't really know how much she read of it, but she's moved straps to tighten one kilt, which helped, but not enough. I think I'll just keep using suspenders, but I'll try Jock Scot's suggestion about the kilt belt for daywear with a non-dress sporran.

[CBH]

she's moved straps to tighten one kilt, which helped, but not enough.

How far where they moved ? Were you fearful of ruining the overall look/function if you went further ?

Mine was only 1 1/2 to 2", but I would be worried about more. Perhaps straps + buckles would work for more distance ?

Anyone else had to do that ?

[jsrnephdoc]

I think they were moved about 2". Instructions for how far to move them are contained in an appendix to Barb Tewksbury's book The Art of Kiltmaking. As I recall, she does NOT advise moving the buckles, because that's more likely to get the pleats off center and also more likely to damage the garment.

[Pleater]

I suspect that the problem might be the shaping rather than the actual size.

Having the luxury of being able to make my own clothes I get to try them on during the construction and correct the fitting. I noticed that the back waist was looser than it ought to be from the measurements quite early on but having already done the pleats, I decided to ease in the top edge of the kilt as it was only that top edge which was loose.

Wool fabric is malleable, it is the difference between dressmaking and tailoring for there to be reshaping of the fabric.

I use webbing for the inner layer of the waistband, so it can take a lot of stress, and it can support even my heaviest kilts as long as the shape is correct.

Of course there is an anatomical difference to be considered - but I was checking measurements and pondering for some time over the obvious gap - I suspect it is simply the thickness of the pleats taking up extra room within the volume of the fell rather than any fundamental difference in anatomy. The kilt can't be tightened down enough to hold steady because it is too tubular - adding a belt helps because it is compressing the waistband - squashing those extra inches I remove during the construction.

Anne the Pleater